I'll Wait for You
by AceTrace
Summary: Always expect the unexpected. Originally a one-shot song-fic. Second fanfic. Sake. Please review and read my other fanfics.  Any ideas are apprecieated.. I stink at summaries... thats for sure!
1. Chapter 1

I'll Wait for You

Jacob Ely gently sat on the bed his best friend, who happened to be Samantha Forster, slept on. He moved slowly and quietly so as not to wake her. As he watched her sleep in the darkness of the early morning, he thought back to the previous night.

*Flashback*

As Jake drove into the Forster's ranch, he could see Sam waiting for him on the porch. She jumped down, duffle bag, containing what she needed for spending the night, in hand. Jake nodded and opened the truck door for her as she ran up and greeted him with a "Hey Jake!"

Though her mouth was smiling, he could see the sadness in her eyes. And he knew that a certain Jake Ely was causing that sadness. How? By going off to college the very next morning! He pushed the thoughts aside and slid back into his side of the truck as she slid into the passenger's seat.

Almost instantly Sam started up her usual chattering. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and could tell she was trying to hide her sadness from him.

"I'm so glad my Dad is letting me spend the night at your house!" she was saying as he pulled into the driveway of Three Ponies Ranch, the ranch he called home. "Took forever to convince your Dad," he muttered, knowing that the only reason Wyatt, Sam's dad, had agreed to let her was because it was Jake asking.

They had spent the night talking and laughing with Jake's older brothers, and of course their usual teasing. Around midnight, Sam had fallen asleep and Jake had carried her up to the guest room they had, which happend to be next to his room, and then crawled into his own bed.

*End flashback*

As he watched her sleep, Jake began to quietly sing to her, his voice barely above a whisper.

All my bags are packed I'm ready to go

I'm standin' here outside your door

I hate to wake you up to say goodbye

But the dawn is breakin' it's early morn

The taxi's waitin' he's blowin' his horn

Already I'm so lonesome I could die.

He thought he saw Sam barely open her eyes, but she didnt move again, so he figured he must have imagined it and kept singing softly to her.

So kiss me and smile for me

Tell me that you'll wait for me

Hold me like you'll never let me go

Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane

Don't know when I'll be back again

Oh babe, I hate to go

He knew that if she had been awake he wouldn't be singing to her. In fact if he hadn't first checked to make sure no one in the house was awake he wouldn't have been singing. Jake Ely never sang. Not even to the girl he had had a secret crush on since the day she had move back from spending two years in San Fransico.

There's so many times I've let you down

So many times I've played around

I tell you now, they don't mean a thing

Every place I go, I'll think of you

Every song I sing, I'll sing for you

When I come back, I'll bring your wedding ring

He thought back to her accident as he sang, knowing that he really had let her down then. She had trusted him and he had failed her. So he had made a promise he wohldnt let anything happen to her ever again. And he also had decided that he was going to announce his love for her and ask for her hand in marriage the moment he returned from college.

So kiss me and smile for me

Tell me that you'll wait for me

Hold me like you'll never let me go

Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane

Don't know when I'll be back again

Oh babe, I hate to go

Jake watched her face as he sang, and knew she was the only girl for him. Why else would he be singing?

Now the time has come to leave you

One more time let me kiss you

Close your eyes I'll be on my way

Dream about the days to come

When I won't have to leave alone

About the times, I won't have to say

He was really hating the fact that as soon as he finished this song he would have to drive to the airport and fly out to a college where he would get training in Law Enforcement which would hopefully help him and Singer, his coydog Sam had given him, become better at tracking and help them get a well paying job.

So kiss me and smile for me

Tell me that you'll wait for me

Hold me like you'll never let me go

Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane

Don't know when I'll be back again

Oh baby, I hate to go

He gently brushed some hair out of Sam's face before he finished the song.

Cause I'm leavin' on a jet plane

Don't know when I'll be back again

Oh babe, I hate to go

He sat there for a minute more before standing and turning to leave the room. He had barely taken one step when Sam bolted up into a sitting position. He spun around to face her, tugging his hat down over his eyes, the color showing in his cheeks.

"Jake… dont leave me yet, please stay a few more minutes?" her voice was soft and pleading.

"I… I thought you were… were asleep," he tried to find words to cover his surpise. He knew he'd have to tell her now. "Brat, I cant keep it hidden any longer," his words came tumbling out. "I… I love you, Sam."

Sam sat there for a few seconds, stunned at his long speech, or rather what was long when it came to how quiet he was. A smile slowly spread over her beautiful face, and the words came tumbling from her mouth, "Oh Jake, I love you too! I have since the day I came back from San Fransico!" she ducked her head slightly to hide her blush, but Jake gently lifted her face so he could look into her eyes before leaning down and softly kissing her lips, and then pulling her into a hug. She rested her head against his hard chest and hugged him back.

After a minute of holding her against his chest, he let Sam pull away. She kissed him, and with a smile on her face said "I'll wait for you." His familiar tom-cat grin appeared on his face as he hugged her to his chest once again. He knew it would only be a few minutes before he had to leave, but he didn't worry about losing her anymore. They had both staked their claims on each other and knew no one could come between them.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: so i had some people who wanted me to write more and make it longer. So here ya go. I shall attempt even though I currently dont know how far ill take it or what will happen to them.

Samantha Forster jogged through the falling snow from the two story white house to the warm and cozy barn. As she entered, two of the horses nickered to her. "Hey Ace, Tempest," she called to them as she grabbed a pitchfork and began cleaning the stalls. She hummed as she did so, humming Christmas songs of course. After all, it was only three days till Christmas!

As she hummed and sang "Jingle Bells", she couldn't help but smile at the memory of Jake telling her cowboys didn't sing silly childish songs like "Jingle Bells" whenever she had begged him to sing Christmas songs with her. She grinned as she remembered it, though her smile wasn't so big as it would have been if Jake were there.

He had already been at college for a year and a half and she missed him a lot, even though he called her every day. She allowed a small sigh to escape her but then smiled again, remembering what he had promised when he had called the night before.

Jake Ely had promised her a christmas surprise. When she had begged for hints he had refused to give her any and left her wondering. She had laid awake most of that night wondering what it was. Was it a new horse? No, it couldn't be. She already had two, plus she was taking care of Jake's mare, Witch. A dog? No, her family didn't need another one. A cat? He'd already given her one before. A new bridle? Not likely. Hers were in perfect condition and she didn't need one. A new hat? No, he had given her his old one when she had lost hers in the avalanche the christmas before he left. She had eventually given up trying to figure it out and had fallen asleep.

"Well ace, i guess I'll have to wait three more days. Sometimes that Jake Ely can be so mean! Making me, Sam Forster, wait till christmas when he knows it will kill me!" she exclaimed as she pet the bay mustang.

Suddenly, she heard a voice whisper in her ear, "Oh? It will kill you to wait that long?"

AN: what do ya think? Who is it? Maybe ill tell ya in the next chapter. If i feel like it.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: I was feeling nice so I'll go ahead and upload this chapter.

Sam normally would have screamed if someone had snuck up on her like that, but she recognized his voice. His sweet voice that had sung to her the morning he had left. His sweet voice that held concern for her whenever she was possibly hurt. His sweet voice that held love whenever he spoke to her.

"Jake?" she screeched in a whisper, spinning around to face him, throwing her arms around his neck. "Jake! It really is you!" she said, surprise and love in her voice.

"Yeah, Brat. It'd be nice if you stopped choking me!" he joked, but his tone also said he didn't mind her embrace and he hugged her to him. "I missed ya," he whispered in her ear, "and I'm glad witch hasn't eaten you."

If possible, she smiled even more. "I missed you too. And no she hasn't eaten me. Though she did bite Quinn when he came over the other day," she giggled as she though o how Quinn had howled like a dying animal when witch had bit him.

Jake chuckled a bit then let her go, stepping back so he could see her face. She smiled up at him. "I didn't think id see you again till you had graduated," she said quietly to him.

"I earned some money and decided to spend christmas with the family" he said, using as few words as possible.

She pretended to be disappointed that he hadn't said "with you" instead of "with the family", but her smile betrayed her.

"And I figured I might as well make sure my Brat hadn't killed herself while i was gone," he added with a smirk. She laughed and playfully punched him.

"Hey! How could I have killed myself? And when did I become your brat?" she smirked.

"Witch coulda eaten ya and since when has anyone else called ya 'brat'?" he grinned at her.

She smiled at him, "Oh yeah? I bet Witch likes me better then she likes you!"

"Naw. She never could. You probably baby her too much," he drawled. "Ya wanna go for a ride?" he asked, grabbing witches bridle from the tack room and heading to her stall.

"Well sure id love to, but Ace needs his feet trimmed and tempest isn't quite trained yet," she told him.

He motioned her over to Witch, "We can ride double." She grinned and climbed up on Witchs bare back and Jake swung up behind her. She laid back against his broad chest as he took up the reins and guided Witch out of the barn and over the bridge.

AN: Ok now you tell me. What should they talk about and what should happen next?


	4. Chapter 4

AN: a big thank you to The Narnian Phantom Stallion for giving me the idea for this chapter and the next.

Sam smiled as she leaned against Jake's well-muscled chest as he guided Witch across the playa. She closed her eyes against the snow when he urged his horse to canter, enjoying the silence and the feel of Jake behind her.

After cantering Witch for a few minutes he let her slow to a walk and broke the silence. "So what ya been doin' since I left?" he quietly spoke in Sam's ear, causing her to shiver.

"Oh just the normal, finding a boy friend one week and ditching him the next for someone else," she said as though it were an everyday thing. She heard Jake snort behind her.

"And just who exactly have you dated?" he challenged.

She began listing them, counting them all with her fingers, "First there was Nate, then Darrel." She thought she heard Jake groan, but continued, "Then there was Adam, then Brian, then I dated Quinn," this time she new she heard Jake's soft chuckle. "Oh and Ryan Slocum."

Jake shifted slightly so he could see her face. "You dated Ryan Slocum?" he practically shouted, shocked. Sam couldn't help it anymore and burst into laughter. After a minute Jake finally got it. "Wait you didn't date any of those jerks, did you, Brat?" he cautiously asked.

She shook her head saying between laughs, "No, but are you saying your brothers are jerks?" He rolled his eyes at her and she giggled more. He grinned too as he shifted back to face forward again on Witch, asking her to pick up a trot.

"So hows college been?" Sam asked once she recovered herself.

"Good," he said, reverting to his usual one-word answers. She smirked, but it was almost instantly replaced by fear as Witch neighed sharply. Jake fought to control his black mare as she sidestepped, then gave a quick buck before rearing, pitching Jake and Sam off of her.

AN: ahhh don't we all love cliffies?


	5. Chapter 5

Jake scrambled to stand up glancing at Witch whose run was taking her swiftly away from him. He looked down at his girlfriend who was laying still on the ground. "Sam? Brat?" he asked tenderly, swiftly glancing around for what had caused his horse to panic.

He heard the rattle at the same time he heard Sam's small groan of "Ow!". He spotted the snake a split second before it struck, its fangs latching onto Sam's hand. She screamed in pain and tried to shake the snake off as Jake swallowed back his own cry of fear.

The rattler let loose of Sam's hand and slithered away. Jake rushed to Sam's side as she sat on the hard ground, holding her left wrist in her right hand. He wrapped one arm around her waist to comfort her as he gently pried her hand off her wrist with his other hand. Sam was beginning to show signs of shock and he knew he had to act fast. Jake quickly searched his mind for what to do then remembered. Keeping one arm around her waist he did his best to try and siphon out any poison the snake may have injected into Sam's hand, being sure to spit all of it out. She whimpered when he did, and tears slowly trailed their way down her cheeks. When he knew he could not get anymore out of her bite, he mumbled a few comforting words to her and swiftly but gently picked her up and started jogging towards his ranch which happened to be closer than Sam's.

As he jogged he kept a check on her level of shock and if the bite was swelling or showing any other signs of poison having entered her arm. Sam laid her head against his chest, feeling faint from the shock and bite. Jake continuously glanced down at her until finally reaching Three Ponies Ranch after what had seemed to be ten hours though it had probably only been ten minutes.

He ran into the yard and gently set her on the seat of his navy blue truck before running into the large stone house and grabbing his keys. His mother, Maxine, looked up from what she was reading at the kitchen table and did a double take at his pale face.

"Jake, what happened?" Maxine asked.

"Sam got bit. By a rattler," he tried to keep his voice level as his Mom gasped.

She went to the phone saying, "Take her to Darton and hurry. I'll call her family."

Jake was already out the door and halfway to his truck.

AN: the more reviews and suggestions I get, the faster I update.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Sorry this took so long. I've been super busy with my school and all. I actually had half of this chapter typed up on my iPod but then someone deleted all my notes so i had to start over. Anyways here it is.

Jake helped Sam to stand up as the doctor rattled off a list of things she could and couldn't do. Sam sighed as he kept talking. Finally she couldn't stand it any longer and interrupted, "I can still ride, right?"

Jake snorted next to her and she glanced at him, spyin his lazy tom cat smile.

"It would be best if you avoided riding," the doctor began, but was inturrupted by Jake's snort.

"Gonna be hard to keep her from doin' that," Jake muttered under his breath and the doctor continued.

"But if you do ride, take it easy and avoid using your hand or riding too long. And don't try to lift your saddle, ask someone else to do it for you."

Sam's eyes slid to the side to glance at Jake. He gave her a look of "don't do anything stupid, Brat. Ask for help" and crossed his arms. "Anything else?" she looked back to the doctor.

"That's all," the doctor said, then left the room.

Jake's arm came around Sam's waist as they left the hospital. Sam glanced up at him with a soft smile and he smiled back at her. Her smile disappeared after a moment though. "shouldn't snakes be hibernating?" she asked with a slight shiver.

"yeah but Witch musta stepped on this one." he reasoned. she nodded and fell silent till they reached his truck.

"I need to call home," she spoke softly as they reached Jake's truck. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"Already called them, but they would probably like to hear you say your okay." She gave him a surprised look, her eyes silently asking when he had called. He grinned down at her. "You don't remember? You really must have been in shock!" he mused.

She blushed and he helped her into his truck. As they drove, she dialed the number for home.

"Hello?" Gram's voice came over the phone.

"Hi Gram. Its me, Sam."

"Samantha! Your okay, aren't you?" Gram's voice sounded worried.

"Yes ma'am, I'm okay. It was a dry bite. Just have to ret some," Sam assured her.

"Thank the Lord!" she heard Gram sigh in relief.

"Jake's driving me home." Sam added then suddenly asked, "Hey, did Witch come home?"

"Showed up right after Jake called. Wont let anyone near her," Gram muttered the last part.

"Okay. Ill take care of her when we get home," Sam could feel Jake's protective glance.

"That poor horse sure needs someone to brush her," Gram said over the phone.

"Okay Gram. Love you, bye," Sam said.

"Love you too, Sam," Gram replied then Sam ended the call.

She looked over at Jake and saw that he kept eyeing her protectively. "Jake! I said id take care of her - that doesn't mean i wont ask for help," she pointed out and he looked back at the road.

"Jake?" she said sweetly and he glanced back at her. "Would you please help me with Witch?" she batted her eyelashes flirtatiously.

Jake snorted. "you are a brat!" he laughed and she grinned. "but yeah, ill help you."


	7. Chapter 7

AN: ok so i had time to write another chappy!

Sam woke up early on Christmas morning, quickly turning the alarm on her phone off before it awoke anyone else. She jerked her jeans on and then pulled on a t-shirt and a brown hoodie. She rummaged through her dresser and found some socks to wear. She pulled them on also then quietly, yet hurriedly, made her way through the hall and down the stairs, avoiding the steps that creaked.

Once down the stairs, she grabbed an apple from the kitchen then went to grab her hat, coat, and boots. She held her apple between her teeth as she pulled her boots and coat on. She set her brown Stetson on her head as she softly closed the door behind her and ran through the pre-dawn darkness to the barn, noticing Jake's truck in the yard.

She blinked a few times to adjust her eyes to the light in the barn then saw Jake leaning against the barn wall, grinning at her. She smiled back, noticing that he was holding reins that led to an already tacked up Witch. "Mornin' cowboy," she said through her smile.

"Mornin' to you too," Jake said, then added a good-natured insult. "Thought I'd have to wake you up."

She blushed, knowing that she was known for not being a morning person. Jake's grin broadened when she blushed, which made her roll her eyes. "Merry Christmas." She grinned before saying, "jerk."

He laughed as he replied, "Merry Christmas to you too, Brat."

She rolled her eyes, but walked over to him to give him a hug. "Thanks for taking me for a ride," she muttered into his chest.

"Mount up or I may be the only one riding," he teasingly whispered in her ear. She released him from her hug and he helped her up onto Witch, swinging up after her. He wrapped his right arm around her and took the reins in his left hand before guiding Witch out of the barn.

As the black mare trotted through the snow, the two talked about different things while Sam munched her apple. "Come on," Sam begged, "please sing it with me?"

"Cowboys don't sing." Jake stubbornly informed her. "Especially sissy songs like 'Jingle Bells'."

Sam huffed, then started singing it by herself, changing the words.

"Jake is mean,

Jake is mean,

Jake is mean to me!

Be-e-cause he-e won't,

Sing this song with me-e!"

Jake couldn't help it and snorted.

"Oh, please, Jake," she continued, biting back her laughter. "Won't you sing,

With me, oh pretty please,

Be-e-cause I will die,

If you do no-ot si-ing."

Jake started laughing, making Sam laugh. "Oh come on Jake!" Sam begged again once she had stopped laughing enough to speak.

"Fine." Jake caved in with the one word. He thought for a moment then started to sing.

Tall in the saddle, we spend Christmas Day,

Driving the cattle over snow covered plains.

All of the good gifts given today,

Ours is the sky and the wide open range.

Sam leaned back against him, eyes closed. She sighed contentedly and smiled as he hugged her slightly.

Back in the cities they have different ways,

Football and eggnog and Christmas parades.

I'll take a blanket, I'll take the reins,

It's Christmas for cowboys wide open plains.

Witch snorted as if to say, "Silly city folks!" Jake and Sam's smiles both widened in agreement with her.

A campfire for warmth as we stop for the night,

The stars overhead are Christmas tree lights.

The wind sings a hymn as we bow down to pray,

It's Christmas for cowboys, wide open plains.

Jake gently kissed Sam's head as she snuggled deeper into his chest.

It's tall in the saddle we spend Christmas Day,

Driving the cattle over snow covered plains.

So many gifts have been opened today,

Ours is the sky and the wide open range.

It's Christmas for cowboys, wide open plains.

Sam wiggled out of Jake's arms just enough to turn her head to see his face. "Jake, your gonna have to sing for me each time you come home. That was beautiful."

Jake blushed under her gaze and muttered, "Beautiful wouldn't quite be the word I'd use."

She laughed softly and he smiled at her. "We've got to spend every Christmas tall in the saddle. Together." She grinned.

"Sure, Brat," he replied with his lazy tom cat smile.


	8. Chapter 8

AN: sorry its been a while again. Got busy with school but finally found time to finish this chapter out while we were traveling. Sorry if some of you dont like the way this is. Most of it is from a dream i had… so i just wove parts of that dream into this story. Anyways i was busy a lot and the only time i had to write was in the car (a total of about twelve hours… not too bad considering im used to travelling two days in a row, thirteen hours each day), but had a bit of writers block as to how exactly write this. But, here ya go. Oh and sorry for any typos or somethin i didnt catch.

Sam and Jake rode on quietly for a few more minutes before Jake stopped Witch next to the hot springs on Deerpath Ranch. He slid off Witch before helping Sam down. Jake then ground tied Witch and walked with Sam to the edge of the hot springs.

Sam noticed after about a minute of silence that he seemed to be nervous about something. "So what are you doing for the rest of the day?" she asked, breaking the silence.

He glanced down at her while rubbing the back of his neck, something he only did when he was embarrassed or nervous. "Depends."

She tilted her head slightly to the side as she repeated him, questioningly, "Depends? Depends on what?"

He glanced away before looking back at her. "Sam," he spoke slowly. "You know I've loved you for a while… and well, I'd like to one day be engaged to you…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck again.

Sam nodded encoragingly and he spoke again.

"Ah… well… uh," he stumbled over his words. He absentmindedly rubbed the back of his neck before reaching his hand into his pocket and dropping to his knee. "Sam, uh, I want to, um…" he trailed off again.

"Oh Jake just get to the point!" Sam exclaimed, mystified and loosing patience.

"Uh, Brat… Sam, I want your word… I want you to promise me something…" he looked into her eyes hopefully.

"Go on," she said promptly.

He licked his lips, which were suddenly dry, along with his whole mouth. "Sam, I want your promise… that you'll wait for me… and marry me when I'm through college." He pulled a silver ring from his pocket.

A beautiful smile came across her face and she threw her arms around his neck. "Oh Jake!" was all she could manage to say. He unlaced her arms from around his neck so he could slip the ring onto her finger.

She gazed down at it, and noticed that it had tiny running horses etched into it. "Oh, Jake! It's absolutely beautiful!" She threw her arms around his neck again and kissed him. He kissed her back as he hugged her close.

They stood there together for some time and then Jake noticee Sam had begun to shiver. "You cold?" he asked quietly.

"A bit," she admitted.

He unwrapped his arms from her just long enough to shrug out of his coat. "Here," he said affectionately, putting it on her shoulders. She began to protest but he silenced her by laying a finger against her lips. "Shhh, I'm fine. Come on, let's go home."

She grinned at him and he helped her back up onto his black mare. "Thanks Jake," she smiled at him as he swung up behind her. He smiled back and kissed the top of her head as Witch began cantering.

"So, you never exactly said what you'd be doin' the rest of the day," Sam said to Jake.

"Hangin' out with you?" he said as though he were'nt sure she'd want him to hang out with her.

She laughed softly, "That'd be awesome Jake."

Jake grinned and rested his chin on top of her head. She had a wide grin spread across her face, as did he, of course. After a minute his grin left his face. "Uh… Sam… I guess now that we are… um… sorta plannin' on gettin' enganged then married… there's probably some stuff we need to talk about." He said it somewhat hesitantly and awkwardly.

"Yeah? Like what?" she asked curiously.

"Like… where we wanna live… what we wanna do… when we wanna have kids… how many kids we want… where we wanna go for our hunnymoon… stuff like that," he explained.

"Well, what about Three Ponies ranch, run a cattle ranch, soon as we can, at least six, preferably twelve-" she was about to go on when Jake inturrupted her.

"How many?" he blurted.

"At least six but preferably twelve?" she repeated.

"You sure?" he asked, sounding slightly worried.

"Yeah," she sounded determined.

"Why?" he definately sounded confused.

"Well, I love kids, being a single kid is boring, it's gotta be funner if there's more kids in the family, but most importantly because kids are a gift from God and He sees them as important, so we should too," she explained slowly, thinking it through as she spoke.

He was quiet for a moment, thinking, then said, "Yeah. I guess so. I mean, I always saw them as a gift from God, and I too love them, but never really thought of it that way."

She smiled, "So you okay with havin' that many?"

He grinned, "As long as you are and you promise to help come up with all the names."

"Of course!" she laughed.

He gave her a hug as best he could, sitting behind her on a horse. "So what about the other question - 'bout where to go on our hunnymoon."

"Mmmmm…" she thought for a minute. "A ride to the Phantom's secret valley?" she asked quietly.

"Would he be okay with me there?"

"I think so," she replied.

"So that's what you'd really want to do? Not go off some where… like San Francisco or somethin'?" he asked.

"Eh… could we ride to the valley, then come back and…" she trailed off, and he could tell there was somewhere she wanted to go, just didn't want to say.

"Just say it Sam. Wherever or whatever it may be," he encouraged.

"Uh… can we fly to England and Scotland?" she asked hesitantly.

"Well…" he paused to think. "We may not have enough money right away… but if you really want to, we could save up and eventually go."

"Even with twelve kids?"

"Even with a hundred kids," he laughed, and her laugh joined his. "As long as you want to go, I promise you Sam, one day we'll go."

She snuggled back against him. "Jake, you're the best guy any girl could want. Even better." He grinned widely. "I love you… a lot!"

"I love you too, Brat," he said, emphasizing 'brat'.


	9. Chapter 9

AN: okay heres another chapter. This story is endin up following a dream ive had, partly some stuff going on in my life, and also some extra stuff thrown in just for the fun of it all.

It was three months after Christmas and Sam was saddling up her trusty bay mustang for a ride. Normally she would have been smiling, but not today. She frowned as she settled her saddle onto Ace's back and tightened the girth.

Suddenly, she felt her knees go weak and felt as though she would faint. She quickly threw one arm over Ace's neck and grabbed his mane with her other hand in order to keep her balance. Ace glanced back at her and nickered, sounding concerned. He seemed to understand Sam needed him to stay still and so he did. After a moment, the lightheadedness passed and Sam slowly opened her eyes and let go of Ace, who nickered again.

"I'm okay boy, just a bit tired," she tried to reassure herself, though it didn't bring too much reassurance. A few weeks after Jake had gone back to college she had started to get headaches quite often. They slowly progressed into dizzy spells, and the dizzy spells had progressed to the point of making Sam often feel as though she would faint. She shrugged as though it all were nothing and bridled Ace.

Ace accepted the bit and started towin her out of the barn, eager for a ride. Sam made him stand still once out of the barn and mounted him. Thankfully mounting him didn't make her feel tol dizzy, as it sometimes did. She pointed him towards the bridge and rode that way.

As she crossed the bridge she saw Wyatt, her dad, trotting towards her, comming in from checking on the cattle out on the range. "Hey Dad," she said, hiding the weariness in her voice.

He nodded and smiled. "Goin' riding?" he asked, using as few words as possible. "Just like Jake would," she thought to herself but said aloud "Yes sir." Wyatt nodded. "Be back before dark." She grinned and nodded as she sent Ace trotting past him.

As soon as she was over the bridge and to War Drum Flats, she let Ace canter, which he did willingly. She smiled as she felt the cool March air hitting her face fromthe slight breeze created by Ace's speed. "Ah yes," she thought. "Cool air always helps when I don't feel too well."

She heard a horse's neigh and opened her eyes to look around for the horse. When she opened them she saw her beloved horse, the Phantom, running up alongside Ace, matching his speed. She grinned and said "Hey, Zanzibar, my pretty boy."

She watched him running, a smile wide upon her face. The smile vanished though as another wave of fatigue and dizziness hit her, this time greater than before. She instinctivly grabbed Ace's mane in a death-grip and closed her eyes. The last thing she saw was the Phantom's silver legs matching every stride of Ace's bay legs.

Ace felt Sam go limp and new something was wrong. He nieghed loudly. The Phantom also sensed something wrong, and decided that he was now in control of where Ace went. Nipping and snaking his head in a herding manner, he herded Ace away from the range, and up the mountainside, to his secret valley.

AN: sorry its short, but lately ive been quite busy and have had a number of headaches, have been exhausted, and well, yeah i did almost faint wednesday morning while grooming Winston. Winston was amazing though. Even though he has the habbit of movig around and even backing and pawing while in cross ties, he sensed the need to stand still when i grabbed his mane to keel from falling and stood still until i was okay. So that proves that horses are concerned about people. He was also continuously wagching me and nickering a me after that. I guess its sorta good i almost passed out cuz it proved to me that i can depend upon him. So anyways. Sorry for it being short, but like i said, ive been exhausted and a bit distracted with headaches and also with takig care of my little brother who had a fever for a few days. Okay ill stop my jabbering for now. Dont you love it when i leave you with a cliffie then write a long author's note? Im so very nice.


	10. Chapter 10

AN: call me nice. Or evil since the Narnian Phantom Stallion gets to read all my updates as soon as i finish typing them. Anyways heres the next bit. I didn't get but two reviews on the last chapter. GIve me at least five reviews on this chapter and you get the next one. Reviews have to reach 40 before I update.

Jake groggily reached for his cell phone in the pitch black of night. He found it and flipped it open. "Yeah?" he said through a yawn.

"Jake, it's Wyatt," came the voice on the other end of the call. "Sam's gone."

The last two words woke Jake completely. "Sam's what?"

"Sam's gone. She left to go riding this morning and hasn't returned. And I gave her strict orders to be back by dark."

Jake glanced at the clock. It flashed 12:32am as he did. "I'll be there soon as I can," he said, already out of bed and pulling on his jeans and shoes.

"Thanks Jake. We'll keep looking and let you know if we find anything," Wyatt's tired and stressed voice said.

Sam's eyes slowly opened and the first thing she saw was a bay shoulder and legs of a horse she was on. She winced slightly at the pounding headache she was feeling. Unlacing her hands and fingers, which she noted were locked together tightly around the horse's neck, she sat up slowly. Sam blinked several times as she looked around her.

She was surrounded by a herd of grazing horses in a meadow with a stream running through it. She noted that the meadow seemed inclosed by rock walls. "Where am I?" she thought to herself.

Sam looked down at the horse she was on. He was small and bay. As the horse turned his head around to look at the girl on his back, he nickered, and as he tossed his head she noticed his white star.

She looked up from staring at the bay's face when she heard a soft nicker come from beside her. She looked to her left and saw a big silver stallion standing at her side. She started to jerk away when he reached out to touch his muzzle to her arm, but something stopped her.

She watched as the stallion gently nuzzled her arm all the while nickering. "Who are you?" she whispered quietly. He looked up at the sound of her voice and neighed lightly. She kept glancing from the horse she was on to the stallion a her side. Both horses - in fact, all the horses surrounding her - looked familiar, but she couldn't quite figure out why.

She glanced down at the saddle she was in and noticed the saddle bags. She slid off the little bay gelding and undid his girth, sliding the saddle off his back and to the ground. She then reached for the bridle he was wearing and noticed the broken throat latch and reins. She slid it off his head and then sat down to go through the saddle bags.

Sam expected the horse to trot off and join the rest of the herd but instead he shook his mane and fell to eating grass alongside her and he silver horse. She shrugged and picked up the saddle bags, dumping the contents into a pile in front of her. The first thing to catch her eye was a silver cell phone. She picked it up and flipped it open, turning it on. Once it was on she noticed there was no service in the area and scrolled through the contacts and texts. She noticed that she tended to have lots from a guy who called her 'brat' when her name was apparently Samantha Forster, or Sam.

She sat still for a moment, staring at the texts. The name ''brat' sounded familiar and she tried to figure out why. She glanced a who the text was from and noticed it was from a guy named Jake. "Jake… Brat… Jake… Brat…" she muttered over and over, frowning. She glanced at the horses around her and suddenly another name popped into her head.

AN: cliffie! Woohoo! Remember: reviews have to reach 40 before the next chapter is up!


	11. Author's Note

Hey Guys. Sorry this isn't another chapter. Lately I have been quite busy with school and holiday activities. So this is just to let you all know that I am still writing this story, but I probably won't have very much time to post more chapters for a while. Thanks for reading my story though!


	12. Chapter 11

"Zanzibar!" she exclaimed, half whispering it. The silver stallion's ears perked up and he trotted over to nuzzle her. "Your Zanzibar… and you get called the Phantom!" It all began to come back to her.

"And your Ace, my mustang!" she called to the bay horse. He flicked his ears and glanced at her. "And you've got an attitude!" she smiled.

"And Jake is my friend," she started but noticed the ring on her finger. "No, he's my boyfriend. And he owns Witch who has a worse attitude then you."

Sam spent the rest of the afternoon trying to remember everything, and most of it was successfully remembered. She put everything back in her saddle bags and stood up. "Well, Ace, I want to go home but it's probably too late. And Your bridle is broken," she spoke to him as she pet his nose.

That night it turned quite cold. She began shivering as she huddled against the rock wall and against Ace's back. The Phantom walked over and laid next to her, sharing his warmth with her. Sam shivered a bit less and drifted off to well needed rest, determined to find her way home in the morning.

Jake hurried to saddle Witch. He had just gotten home, having taken the first flight home. His father hadnt allowed him to ride out the previous night as it had been past midnight when he had finally gotten home. "Two days! She's been gone for two days!" he muttered to himself, mounting Witch.

Once out on the range, he pushed his horse to a run, pointing her to the calico mountains. He rode on for at least two hours before finally reaching where he wanted to go. He stopped his black mare and dismounted, gathered her reins, and led her through a tunnel in the rock of the mountain. She hung back a bit but followed him, each fall of her hooves echoing off the tunnel walls.

When he emerged into the light at the end of the tunnel, he glanced around and then gasped, "Sam?"

Ahead and just to the right of him two horse, a bay and a grey, lay on the ground, and between them, protected and kept warm by their bodies and the rock wall, lay the redheaded girl he was searching for.

Jake dropped the reins of his horse and ran to Sam. The Phantom had been watching him and allowed him to go to Sam. He kneeled next to her, noting her pale face. He gently reached out and touched her cheek, thankful that she didn feel to cold. "Sam?" his voice came out choked with emotion and live for her. "Sam?" he spoke again, stroking her cheek.

Her eyelids fluttered open and she gazed at him before simply saying "Oh Jake… you came for me!"

He smiled softly and gathered her up in his arms, hugging her. "Don't ever run off again, Brat," he whispered into her ear.

She turned to look at him. "I didn't," she stated.

He gazed down at her with confusion in his eyes. "Then, if you didn't run away, why are you here and where have you been the past two days?"

"I went riding on Ace and…" she trailed off and looked away, not wanting to tell.

"Sam, you have to tell me," he stated gently. She looked at his face and saw concern, and so she did tell him. She told him all about how she had been getting headaches and being dizzy and finally fainting.

"Oh, Sam!" he exclaimed once she had finished. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I was scared," she answered honestly.

He sighed and picked her up. "Come on, I'm taking you home and from there I'm driving you to the hospital."

She simply sighed, to tired to protest. He set her on her feet and saddled Ace, hanging the broken bridle over the saddle horn and placing a loop of rope around the horse's neck. He picked Sam up and placed her on her mustang then led him over to where Witch was patiently standing. He mounted and then he and Sam rode out of the meadow and towards home as the Phantom watched from where he stood beside his herd.

Author's Note: Sorry it's been forever since I updated. My life is crazy and I havent been able to concentrate on my writing.


	13. Authors Note

Author's Note:

I am very sorry for my long absence. My life got quite crazy and frankly I haven't had much time for anything. First one thing then another.

I am not sure if I will continue this story or not. Maybe one day I will finish it. As for now, I don't really have any ideas... Suggestions would be appreciated. Even if i do get the hankering to write more, it would probably be sporadic and not too often. I have begun college with an accelerated distance learning program, so that keeps me quite busy, along with whatever my family is doing, the holidays coming up, and finding whatever time I can to work with the horses.

As far as horses in my life are concerned, I was supposed to do a Mustang Makeover competition this spring, but that fell through so I never got my little mustang foal. However, I am still working with Winston for now. If you wanna know anything about him or what I've done with him, just message me.

Thank you for being loyal (I hope),

AceTrace


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